US protesters target Tartan Week

Published on Monday 24 August 2009 22:16

THE organiser of Tartan Week in the United States has revealed that he has been inundated with calls from angry Americans following the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber.

Alan Bain said he has been urging citizens to look at the bigger picture and remember the historically close relationship Scotland and the US.

He spoke as evidence grew of a mounting backlash in America against Scotland following the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.

The whisky industry yesterday highlighted its concerns about the impact on trade after one US politician, New York state senator Andrew Lanza, identified Scottish drinks giant Diageo as a target for boycotts.

Around 40 per cent of Diageo's latest profits were made in America and in total 12 per cent of Scotch whisky is bought in the US – a market worth 370 million to the industry in 2008.

David Williamson, of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: "We haven't noticed any drop in sales, but America is our biggest market and this is a concern."

Meanwhile, there appears to be a threat to tourism with more e-mails from angry Americans claiming that they have cancelled holidays to Scotland.

One to a Labour MSP read: "My family here in the US has cancelled a planned two-week trip to Scotland which was scheduled to begin 26 August because we are outraged at the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber after only eight years from a Scottish prison.

"Many American college students were murdered by this individual and it is shocking that the Scottish Government should consider the illness of this terrorist as just cause for releasing him.

"As much as we were anticipating visiting Scotland, we and others we know can never support the Scottish tourism industry and will be spending our dollars elsewhere."

With the site www.boycottscotland.com receiving more attention, there are fears that Scotland is set to receive the same treatment as France did after it refused to back the US over the invasion of Iraq.

And Scotland's tourism body, VisitScotland, has come under fire for failing to start work on a strategy to counter any potential damage.

A spokeswoman for VisitScotland said that while the organisation is monitoring the situation, it is currently "business and usual" and no strategy is being formulated.

But Labour's tourism spokesman in Holyrood, Lewis Macdonald, accused the organisation of being complacent.

"The potential for a loss of business is very significant indeed," he said. "It is imperative that we start to address that immediately. I am surprised that VisitScotland is not looking at a strategy considering the threat the Scottish tourism industry may be facing."

One part of Scotland's promotion in the US is the annual Tartan Week held in April and there has been speculation that politicians and businesses will boycott the events, including the annual Tartan Day parade through New York, where many of the families of Lockerbie bomb victims are based and anger is most concentrated.

Organiser Mr Bain reminded Americans that Scotland and Britain are among America's "oldest friends in the world". He has pointed out that it was Scots Guards and Coldstream Guards who came over to help after the 9/11 attacks.

"I just hope that people will look at this decision for what it is and see the bigger picture in terms of Scotland's relationship with America," he said.